Arrow rest

ABSTRACT

An improved arrow rest for use in combination with an archery bow is disclosed. The present arrow rest provides complete radial support to an arrow disposed in a ready-to-draw position even if the bow is tilted or rotated radially relative to an axis of the arrow. Such radial support is provided by an inverted coil brush comprising a disc-shaped structure having a plurality of radially disposed, inwardly projecting bristles of a predetermined length attached therein forming a central opening in the arrow rest wherein the arrow shaft is radially supported. The bristles are arranged within the coil brush so as to impart no significant hindrance to the passage of an arrow therethrough. Thus, no angular orientation of the arrow vanes to the arrow nock is required which permits the use of the arrow rest with any configuration of arrow fletching or number of vanes. In addition, the present arrow rest can be used with any diameter of arrow shaft while maintaining both vertical and horizontal position without adjusting the rest position. Further, the present arrow rest improves the stability of an arrow in flight by dampening arrow vibration in all directions as it is released from the bowstring.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to archery equipment and, moreparticularly, to an arrow rest for guiding and supporting an arrow on anarchery bow.

Arrow supporting devices or so-called arrow rests are well known tothose skilled in the art. The arrow rest provides several importantfunctions for the archer. Initially, the arrow rest supports an arrowprior to and during drawing the archery bow to a shooting position andguiding the arrow toward the target after it has been released from thebow string. In addition, the arrow rest must cause a minimal amount offrictional resistance to the arrow as it is released from the bow, andminimal damage to the arrow shaft or fletching i.e. feathers.

In addition, the arrow rest will ideally support the arrow in a drawnposition when the bow is tilted or rotated radially which is often thecase during hunting. In this situation the mid-section of the arrow mayslip from the arrow rest invariably causing the hunter to miss thetarget.

Although some prior art devices as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,282,850, 5,460,153 and 4,372,282 provide radial support of the arrowshaft, such devices have proven to be less than satisfactory. Inparticular, such devices impart severe frictional resistance to thepassage of the arrow unless the fletching is oriented rather preciselyto the radial openings in the arrow rest.

Thus, the present invention has been developed to overcome theseproblems and other shortcomings of the prior art devices.

2. Description of Related Prior Art

U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,282 to Edward Sanders discloses a device forsupporting an arrow disposed in a ready-to-shoot position on an archerybow. Although this arrow rest provides radial support to the mid-portionof an arrow, the arrow must be radially oriented to the arrow support toavoid damaging the arrow fetching as it passes through the arrow rest.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,450 to William J. Jacobson discloses a device forsupporting an arrow on an archery bow including an annular body whereinthree support fingers provide radial support and guidance for the arrow.However, this arrow support also requires proper angular orientation ofthe fetching to the opening between the finger supports to preventdamage to the fletching.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,153 to Robert L. Huntt discloses an archery arrowguide including an elastomeric diaphragm having a central opening forreceiving an arrow shaft and a plurality of openings through which thevanes on the arrow are projected as the arrow is released from the bow.However, this arrow guide also requires proper orientation of the arrowvanes to the radial openings in the diaphragm to prevent damage to thearrow vanes.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,850 to Allen E. Warnicke discloses an archery bowhaving an arrow guide apparatus for holding and guiding a vaned arrow.The apparatus includes a channel formed in the bow's handle section andthree flexible fins mounted at angularly spaced intervals within thechannel and projecting radially inwardly therein. This apparatus alsorequires angular orientation of the arrow fetching to the openingsbetween the flexible fins.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,589 to Steven Chang discloses an archery arrowsighting apparatus which is mounted to an archery bow. An arrowsupporting element is formed from an elastomeric material having agenerally truncated triangular configuration which must be aligned withthe arrow fletching.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,072 also to Steven Chang discloses a combinationarrow sighting and support apparatus including a conical arrow supportportion having a central aperture and arrow feather slots arranged in atriangular pattern to permit passage of the feathers.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,242 to Eric J. Ruholl discloses an arrow rest for anarchery bow having a guide plate defining a central opening, three slotsextending radially from the central opening, and a plurality of setscrews projecting into the central opening to provide an adjustablesupport structure for arrow shafts. This arrow rest includes the typicaltriangular configuration for passage of the arrow fletching.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

After much research and study of the prior art devices, the presentinvention has been developed to provide an arrow rest which will providecomplete radial support of an arrow in a ready-to-draw position evenwhen the bow is tilted or rotated radially which is often desirablewhile hunting.

In addition, the arrow rest of the present invention does not requireany angular orientation of the vanes or fletching to the arrow nock asis typically the case in the prior art devices. Because no angularorientation of the fletching is necessary, the present arrow rest can beused with virtually any style of fletching and with any number of vaneswithout damaging the arrow.

Further, the present arrow rest improves the stability of the arrow inflight by dampening arrow vibration in all directions thereby reducingdistortion of the arrow shaft.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention toprovide an improved arrow rest which provides complete radial support tothe arrow shaft even when the bow is tilted or rotated radially.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrow restwhich does not require any angular orientation of the fletching to thearrow nock when shooting.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved arrowrest which is compatible with any number of vanes or fletching.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrow restwhich improves the stability of the arrow in flight by dampening arrowvibration at the time of release from the bow.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrow restwhich allows for quick bow movement without loss of arrow alignment onthe arrow rest.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrow holderwhich secures the arrow to the bow in a relaxed or drawn position.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent and obvious from a study of the following description and theaccompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view of the arrow rest of the presentinvention shown installed on an archery bow;

FIG. 2 is a cutaway perspective view of the arrow rest depicted in FIG.1 as shown from the opposite side of the archery bow;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the arrow rest of the presentinvention as seen from a user's perspective;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the arrow rest of the present invention showingthe mounting bracket and linkage arm assembly thereof;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an arrow disposed within the arrowrest in a ready-to-draw position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an arrow disposed within the arrowrest as it is being projected therethrough;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of an arrow support of the prior artshown from a user's perspective and labeled Prior Art;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket which forms a partof the arrow rest of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the support shaft component of thepresent arrow rest; and

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the linkage arm of the presentarrow rest for attachment to an archery bow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

With reference to the drawings there is shown therein an improved arrowguiding device or arrow rest in accordance with the present invention,indicated generally at 10 and illustrated in FIG. 1. The arrow rest 10is shown installed in its functional position on an archery bow 12. Anarrow 14 is shown in a ready-to-draw position on the bow 12.

By a ready-to-draw position, it is meant that the nock 13 of the arrowis received on the nocking point of the bow string 11 and the arrow 14is inserted through the arrow rest 10 above the handle 12a of the bow.From the position shown in FIG. 1, the arrow 14 is ready to be drawn andreleased at a target.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be appreciated that in the absence ofthe present arrow rest 10 the arrow 14 rests in a generally right-angledshelf 22 formed in the bow 12 just above the handle 12a. On manycommercially available bows this shelf 22 includes some form of aresilient pad (often a leather strip or feathered pad) to prevent thearrow 14 from scraping against the bow 12 as it is released therefrom.

The improved arrow rest 10 of the present invention provides thisfunction as well and offers additional advantages. Initially, theimproved arrow rest 10 provides complete radial support to the arrowwhenever the bow is tilted or rotated radially in any direction. This isa significant advantage to the hunter in the field whose shootingposition will be dictated by an approaching game animal and thesurrounding terrain. Thus, the improved arrow rest 10 allows for quickchanges of position and prevents the arrow 14 from coming off the rest10 as the result of jarring impacts.

Perhaps more importantly, the improved arrow rest 10 of the presentinvention does not require any angular orientation of the vanes orfletching 24 to the arrow nock 13 as is required in the prior artdevices described hereinabove.

Referring now to FIG. 3 the arrow rest 10 will be described in furtherdetail. The arrow rest 10 includes a generally disk-shaped inverted coilbrush, indicated generally at 15, which is installed in a mountingbracket, indicated generally at 18. The bracket 18 is mechanicallycoupled to a linkage arm assembly indicated generally at 20 as moreclearly shown in FIG. 4, which is attached to the bow 12 by suitableattaching hardware such as machine bolt 19.

The inverted coil brush 15 includes a ring portion 16 which is generallyU-shaped in cross-section such that a plurality of radially disposed,inwardly projected bristles 17 may be permanently captured therein bycrimping outer ends thereof in the U-shaped ring 16 as more clearlyshown in FIG. 5.

In the preferred embodiment an inverted coil brush of the typemanufactured by the SealEze Corporation, 8000 White Pine Road, Richmond,Va. 23237 is suitable for use with the arrow rest 10 of the presentinvention. Of course, other similar inverted coil brushes may beutilized with the present arrow rest in a particular embodiment.

The bristles 17 are fabricated from nylon or other suitable material ofsufficient strength and resiliency to withstand repeated deflection byan arrow 14 being projected therethrough. A bristle thickness ofapproximately 0.016 has been demonstrated to be adequate for thisapplication.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 the coil brush 15 is made up of alayer of primary bristles 17A adjacent to a layer of secondary bristles17B. The primary bristles 17A measure approximately ¾ of an inch inlength in comparison to secondary bristle length of approximately ½inch. In such a configuration the primary bristles 17A providesufficient radial support to the arrow shaft while the shorter secondarylayer of bristles 17B reduces the frictional resistance imparted to thearrow vanes 24 as the arrow 14 is projected through the coil brush 15.

When an arrow 14 is projected through the coil brush 15 the bristles 17Aare deflected forwardly in the direction of arrow travel as shown inFIG. 6 and thereafter spring back to their original position definingthe central opening 25.

In this aspect, the arrow rest 10 of the present invention differssubstantially from the prior art devices. With reference to FIG. 7 thereis shown therein an example of a prior art arrow rest for an archery bowas disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,282 and labeled PRIOR ART. In thePrior Art example, three wedge-shaped arm members 33, 35, and 37 extendradially inwardly into the opening in the ring portion 29. The base ofeach of the wedge-shaped arm members is connected to the interior of thering portion 29.

As shown in FIG. 7, the three arms 33, 35 and 37 are equally spaced atapproximately 120° radial angles from each other. Thus, three equalopenings are formed for the arrow vanes to pass through when the arrowis projected. Normally, when an arrow is nocked the so-called cockfeather (not shown) extends outwardly at a right angle to the left ofthe bow string (on a right handed bow). The other two vanes are oriented120° from the cock feather. This feather positioning is achieved eachtime the arrow is nocked. Therefore, by arranging the wedge-shaped arms33, 35, and 37 such that they do not intersect the plane of the featherswhen thus positioned, the feathers will pass through the openingsbetween the arms without being damaged when the arrow is projected.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that no such angularorientation of the arrow vanes 24 is required in the use of the presentinvention. Further, the present invention may be used with vanes orfletching such as straight, left helical, or right helical and with anynumber of vanes i.e. 3, 4, 5 etc. without concern for damaging ortearing the fletching as would occur with the PRIOR ART arrow rest ofFIG. 7 if any type fletching other than the standard 3 vaneconfiguration with 120° orientation between the vanes is utilized.

To permit the improved arrow rest 10 to be mounted onto the bow 12, thecoil brush 15 is installed in a longitudinal slot 26 formed in themounting bracket 18 as shown in FIG. 8. The coil brush 15 is secured inthe slot by means of a pair of set screws 19. The mounting bracket 18includes a cylindrical aperture 23 extending the entire length thereofwhich is adapted to receive an elongated, cylindrical support shaft 23as shown in FIG. 9

The support shaft 23 is dimensioned to provide a sliding fit within theaperture 23 and is secured therein by means of a set screw (not shown).

An opposite end of the support shaft 23 is coupled to an elongatedlinkage arm member 27 as shown in FIG. 10. The arm member 27 includes amounting hole 28 formed at one end thereof which is dimensioned toreceive the support shaft 23 therein.

In the preferred embodiment, the mounting hole 28 communicates with aslot 30 formed along the longitudinal axis of the arm member 27 dividingthe end of the arm member 27 into a pair of generally parallel fingers27a and 27b. A machine bolt 31 engages a mating thread formed in a holeextending through both fingers 27a and 27b to provide a clampingmechanism for securing the arm member 27 to the support shaft 23 andproviding an adjustment for the radial orientation of the bracket 18 tothe shaft 23.

An opposite end of the arm member 27 includes an elongated slot 32formed therein which is adapted to receive the machine bolt 19 in orderto secure the arm member 27 to the bow 12. The elongated slot 32 alsoprovides an adjustment for positioning the arrow rest 10 at a desiredposition in the horizontal plane.

The arm member 27 also includes a tapped hole 34 to accept a locking setscrew 38 which rigidly secures the arm member 27 to the bow 12. Byutilizing the locking screw 38 and the slot 32, the vertical orientationof the arrow rest 10 for shooting can be adjusted. In addition, thismeans of attachment allows the arrow rest 10 to be removed when it isnot needed.

In practical use, after the arrow rest 10 has been attached to the bow12 and the linkage arm assembly 20 has been adjusted to the desiredposition, the coil brush 15 will lie in a plane generally perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the arrow 14 as shown in FIG. 1.

Thereafter, the tip of the arrow 14 is inserted into the central opening25 defined by the inwardly projecting bristles 17 and the shaft 14a isurged between the ends of the bristles 17 to a point adjacent the vanes24 as shown in FIG. 1. The nock 13 is then positioned on the nockingpoint of the bow string 11 and the arrow 14 is ready to be drawn andprojected at a target.

The nock 13 of the arrow 14 typically includes a horizontally opposedpair or protuberances (not shown) which engage the bowstring 11 andprevent the arrow 14 from slipping off the bowstring. The bowstring 11also includes a vertically opposed pair of beads 36 either side of thenocking point to capture the arrow 14 once it has been nocked on thebowstring.

It can be seen that with or without these features, the arrow rest 10including the inverted coil brush 15 which provides 360° support aboutthe arrow shaft 14a, is retained in a ready-to-draw condition even whenthe bow 12 is tilted or rotated radially about a longitudinal axis ofthe arrow as is often desirable for hunters in the field.

Further, the improved arrow rest 10 will prevent the arrow 14 fromfalling from the bow 12 even if the nock 13 comes off the bowstring 11as the result of a quick bow movement or a jarring impact.

The present arrow rest 10 provides additional advantages and featuresnot shown in the prior art devices. For example, the present arrow rest10 has been demonstrated to improve the stability of an arrow 14 inflight by dampening arrow vibration in all directions as it passesthrough the inverted coil brush 15 as shown in FIG. 6.

In addition, the radially disposed bristles 17 of the inverted coilbrush 15 allow the arrow 14 to be drawn and released more silently thanconventional arrow rests utilizing movable brackets or pivots andsprings. Thus, game animals within ear shot of the hunter are notalerted to his presence as the bow is drawn and an arrow is released.

From the above it can be seen that the present invention provides thearchery enthusiast with an improved arrow rest that provides completeradial support when an arrow is held in a ready-to-draw position evenwhen the bow is tilted or rotated radially.

The present invention also provides an arrow rest which does not requireany orientation of fletching to nock alignment and, thus, effectivelyprovides a universal fit with all types of arrow fletching such asstraight, left helical, right helical and with any number of vanes i.e.3, 4, or 5 vanes.

In addition, the present arrow rest imparts stability to the arrow inflight by dampening arrow vibration in all directions at the time ofrelease from the bow.

Further, the present arrow rest allows an arrow to be drawn and releasedmore silently than conventional arrow rests utilizing movable bracketsor pivots and springs, which tend to alert game animals to the presenceof the bow hunter.

The terms “inner”, “outer”, “side”, and so forth have been used hereinmerely for convenience to describe the present invention and its partsas oriented in the drawings. It is to be understood, however, that theseterms are in no way limiting to the invention since such invention mayobviously be disposed in different orientations when in use.

The present invention may, or course, be carried out in other specificways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit andessential characteristics of such invention. The present embodimentsare, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An arrow rest for use with an archery bow of thetype including a curved bow member having opposite ends, said bow memberhaving a bow string extending between said opposite ends and beingattached thereto under tension to permit an arrow having vanes to beprojected therefrom, said arrow rest comprising: means for radiallysupporting said arrow in a ready-to-draw position relative to said bowmember, said supporting means including a generally disc-shaped,inverted coil brush having a plurality of bristles extending radiallyinwardly and defining a central opening wherein said arrow is radiallysupported in said ready-to-draw position; and means for removablyattaching said radially supporting means to said bow member such thatsaid bow is functional in a conventional manner with said arrow restremoved.
 2. The arrow rest of claim 1 wherein said bristles are disposedwithin said coil brush such that said arrow may be projectedtherethrough without regard to the angular orientation of said vanes tosaid arrow rest.
 3. The arrow rest of claim 2 wherein said bristleswithin said coil brush are of the same length.
 4. The arrow rest ofclaim 2 wherein said bristles are radially disposed within said coilbrush in a plurality of layers, said bristles within each respectivelayer being of different lengths thereby defining a central openingwithin each layer having a different diameter whereby the frictionalresistance imparted to said arrow passing through said coil brush isreduced.
 5. The arrow rest of claim 2 wherein said coil brush is capableof increased diameter deflection thereby changing the diameter of saidcentral opening to accommodate arrows of various diameters whereby thefrictional resistance imparted to said arrow passing through said coilbrush is reduced.
 6. The arrow rest of claim 1 wherein said arrow restis usable with an arrow having any number of said vanes and any angularorientation of said vanes.
 7. The arrow rest of claim 1 wherein saidattaching means includes a mounting bracket adapted to position saidcoil brush in a plane generally perpendicular to that plane defined bysaid bow and said bow string.
 8. The arrow rest of claim 7 wherein saidattaching means includes a linkage arm assembly that is mechanicallycoupled to said mounting bracket such that said coil brush is adjustablein a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said arrow enablingthe inclination of said arrow relative to said bow to be adjusted. 9.The arrow rest of claim 1 wherein said attaching said means can beinstalled on said bow without permanent modification thereof.
 10. Anarrow rest for use with an archery bow of the type including a curvedbow member having opposite ends, said bow member having a bow stringextending between said opposite ends and being attached thereto undertension to permit an arrow having vanes to be projected therefrom, saidarrow rest comprising: means for radially supporting said arrow in aready-to-draw position relative to said bow member, said supportingmeans including an inverted brush having a plurality of bristlesextending radially inwardly into a flight path of said vanes anddefining an opening wherein said arrow is radially supported in saidready-to-draw position.
 11. The arrow rest of claim 10 wherein saidbristles are disposed within said inverted brush such that said arrowmay be projected therethrough without regard to the angular orientationof said vanes to said arrow rest.
 12. The arrow rest of claim 11 whereinsaid bristles within said inverted brush are of the same length.
 13. Thearrow rest of claim 11 wherein said bristles are radially disposedwithin said inverted brush in a plurality of layers, said bristleswithin each respective layer being of different lengths thereby defininga central opening within each layer having a different diameter wherebythe frictional resistance imparted to said arrow passing through saidinverted brush is reduced.
 14. The arrow rest of claim 11 wherein saidinverted brush is capable of increased diameter deflection therebychanging the diameter of said central opening to accommodate arrows ofvarious diameters whereby the frictional resistance imparted to saidarrow passing through said inverted brush is reduced.
 15. The arrow restof claim 10 wherein said arrow rest is usable with an arrow having anynumber of said vanes and any angular orientation of said vanes.
 16. Thearrow rest of claim 10, wherein said arrow rest further comprises ameans for removably attaching said radially supporting means to said bowmember such that said bow is functional in a conventional manner withsaid arrow rest removed.
 17. The arrow rest of claim 16 wherein saidattaching means includes a mounting bracket adapted to position saidinverted brush in a plane generally perpendicular to that plane definedby said bow and said bow string.
 18. The arrow rest of claim 17 whereinsaid attaching means includes a linkage arm assembly that ismechanically coupled to said mounting bracket such that said invertedbrush is adjustable in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis ofsaid arrow enabling the inclination of said arrow relative to said bowto be adjusted.
 19. The arrow rest of claim 16 wherein said attachingmeans can be installed on said bow without permanent modificationthereof.
 20. An arrow rest comprising a support for holding an arrowhaving fletching in a ready-to-draw position relative to a bow member,said support comprising a plurality of bristles extending radiallyinwardly into a flight path of said fletching and defining an openingwherein said arrow is radially supported in said ready-to-draw position.21. The arrow rest of claim 20, wherein said arrow rest furthercomprises a mounting bracket adapted to position said support in a planegenerally perpendicular to that plane defined by said bow member and abow string.
 22. The arrow rest of claim 21 wherein said mounting bracketfurther comprises a linkage arm assembly that is mechanically coupled tosaid mounting bracket such that said support is adjustable in a planeperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said arrow enabling theinclination of said arrow relative to said bow member to be adjusted.23. The arrow rest of claim 22 wherein said mounting bracket can beinstalled on said bow member without permanent modification thereof. 24.An arrow rest comprising a support for holding an arrow having fletchingin a ready-to-draw position relative to a bow member, said supportcomprising a plurality of extending projections in a flight path of saidfletching and defining an opening wherein said arrow is radiallysupported in said ready-to-draw position.
 25. The arrow rest of claim 24wherein said extending projections comprise bristles.
 26. The arrow restof claim 24 wherein said opening comprises a circular opening defined bythe extending projections.
 27. The arrow rest of claim 24 wherein saidextending projections extend radially inwardly.
 28. The arrow rest ofclaim 27 wherein said extending projections contact said arrow.
 29. Thearrow rest of claim 24 wherein said extending projections extend towardsa single point.
 30. The arrow rest of claim 29 wherein said single pointis within said opening.
 31. The arrow rest of claim 24 wherein saidarrow is radially supported by the extending projections for 360 degreesabout the longitudinal axis of said arrow.
 32. The arrow rest of claim24 wherein said extending projections hold the arrow such that the arrowremains within the opening upon perpendicular force relative to thelongitudinal axis of said arrow.
 33. An arrow rest comprising a supportfor holding an arrow having fletching in a ready-to-draw positionrelative to a bow member, said support comprising a plurality ofextending projections in a flight path of said fletching, wherein saidarrow is radially supported by the extending projections for 360 degreesabout the longitudinal axis of said arrow when said arrow is in saidready-to-draw position.
 34. The arrow rest of claim 33 wherein saidextending projections hold the arrow such that said arrow is radiallysupported by the extending projections for 360 degrees uponperpendicular force relative to the longitudinal axis of said arrow. 35.An arrow rest comprising a support for holding an arrow having fletchingin a ready-to-draw position relative to a bow member, said supportcomprising a plurality of extending projections in a flight path of saidfletching, wherein said arrow is radially supported in saidready-to-draw position, and wherein said extending projections hold thearrow such that the arrow remains within the opening upon perpendicularforce relative to the longitudinal axis of said arrow.
 36. The arrowrest of claim 35 wherein said arrow is radially supported by theextending projections for 360 degrees about the longitudinal axis ofsaid arrow.
 37. An arrow rest for use with an archery bow of the typeincluding a curved bow member having opposite ends, said bow memberhaving a bow string extending between said opposite ends and beingattached thereto under tension to permit an arrow having vanes to beprojected therefrom, said arrow rest comprising: means for radiallysupporting said arrow in a ready-to-draw position relative to said bowmember, said supporting means including an inverted brush having aplurality of bristles extending radially inwardly and defining anopening wherein said arrow is radially supported in said ready-to-drawposition, wherein said bristles are disposed within said inverted brushsuch that said arrow may be projected therethrough without regard to theangular orientation of said vanes to said arrow rest.
 38. The arrow restof claim 37 wherein said bristles within said inverted brush are of thesame length.
 39. The arrow rest of claim 37 wherein said bristles areradially disposed within said inverted brush in a plurality of layers,said bristles within each respective layer being of different lengthsthereby defining a central opening within each layer having a differentdiameter whereby the frictional resistance imparted to said arrowpassing through said inverted brush is reduced.
 40. The arrow rest ofclaim 27 wherein said inverted brush is capable of increased diameterdeflection thereby changing the diameter of said central opening toaccommodate arrows of various diameters whereby the frictionalresistance imparted to said arrow passing through said inverted brush isreduced.
 41. An arrow rest for use with an archery bow of the typeincluding a curved bow member having opposite ends, said bow memberhaving a bow string extending between said opposite ends and beingattached thereto under tension to permit an arrow having vanes to beprojected therefrom, said arrow rest comprising: means for radiallysupporting said arrow in a ready-to-draw position relative to said bowmember, said supporting means including an inverted brush having aplurality of bristles extending radially inwardly and defining anopening wherein said arrow is radially supported in said ready-to-drawposition, wherein said arrow rest further comprises a means forremovably attaching said radially supporting means to said bow membersuch that said bow is functional in a conventional manner with saidarrow rest removed, said attaching means includes a mounting bracketadapted to position said inverted brush in a plane generallyperpendicular to that plane defined by said bow and said box string, andsaid attaching means includes a linkage arm assembly that ismechanically coupled to said mounting bracket such that said invertedbrush is adjustable in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis ofsaid arrow enabling the inclination of said arrow relative to said bowto be adjusted.
 42. An arrow rest comprising a support for holding anarrow in a ready-to-draw position relative to a bow member, said supportcomprising a plurality of bristles extending radially inwardly anddefining an opening wherein said arrow is radially supported in saidready-to-draw position, wherein said arrow rest further comprises amounting bracket adapted to position said support in a plane generallyperpendicular to that plane defined by said bow member and a bow string,and wherein said mounting bracket further comprises a linkage armassembly that is mechanically coupled to said mounting bracket such thatsaid support is adjustable in a plane perpendicular to a longitudinalaxis of said arrow enabling the inclination of said arrow relative tosaid bow member to be adjusted.
 43. The arrow rest of claim 42 whereinsaid mounting bracket can be installed on said bow member withoutpermanent modification thereof.